Rupert Lowe has accused Nigel Farage of ignoring a request for dinner to settle the ongoing rift between the two MPs.
Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP who lost the whip on Friday amid allegations about his conduct, which he denies, said Farage "tends to fall out with" people whom he deems "capable enough to take over from him."
In an open letter posted on social media, Lowe claimed he had invited the Reform UK leader for a dinner to try to settle the conflict only to be ignored by Farage.
The letter, posted on X, read: "My latest invitation for dinner with you did not receive a response, but I am going to make one last effort.
"Our members deserve that. Without them, neither of us would be in Parliament, Their hard work, their efforts, their determination - that's what put us there. Not me, not you. Them."
GB News has approached Nigel Farage for a comment about these allegations.
Reform said Lowe had been reported to the police over alleged “threats of physical violence” to party chairman Zia Yusuf. It also claimed that two women working in the MP’s offices had made complaints about "workplace bullying" and "derogatory remarks."
Lowe has strenuously denied the allegations, saying the allegations of bullying do not relate to him and were made by staff who themselves faced disciplinary action.
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Starmer SLAMS 'cottage industry of checkers and blockers' in growth speech
Starmer took aim at what he called a "cottage industry of checkers and blockers" within the state who were frustrating the Government’s mandate.
The Prime Minister pointed to his plans to build 1.5 million homes, telling an audience in Hull that "some parts of the state haven’t got the memo."
He added: "I’ll give you an example. There’s a office conversion in Bingley, which as you know, is in Yorkshire. That is an office conversion that will create 139 homes. But now the future of that is uncertain because the regulator was not properly consulted on the power of cricket balls.
"That’s 139 homes. Now, just think of the people, the families, the individuals who want those homes, to buy those homes to make their life and now they’re held up. Why? You’ll decide whether this is a good reason – because I’m going to quote, this is the the reason – because the ‘ball strike assessment doesn’t appear to be an undertaken by a specialist, qualified consultant’."
Starmer announces NHS England is to be abolished
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced NHS England will be abolished to "cut bureaucracy" and bring management of the health service "back into democratic control."
Speaking to a crowd in Yorkshire, he said: "I don’t think for one second that’s what public servants want to do.
"If you walk around Whitehall, I know we’re recruiting some of the best talent in the country, people who have joined the Civil Service because they want to serve their country by delivering change.
"Yet somehow we take that energy, that pride, that patriotism, and we misdirect it into blocking. Well, that’s got to end."
Number on Universal Credit for health or disability up by half a million in year
Universal Credit users has skyrocketed
PAThe number of claimants on Universal Credit (UC) with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work rose by half a million in a year, the latest figures show.
The official statistics showing 2.5 million people were on UC for that reason by the end of last year come amid rumours of welfare cuts as the Government seeks to slash the benefits bill.
The latest figure for claimants across Great Britain as of December 2024, was up from two million the previous year. Of the 2.5 million total last year, 10% were under 25 years old while 38% were aged 50 and above.
Just over half (54 per cent) of claimants were female. Of the overall total, 14 per cent – some 336,000 – were deemed to have acceptable medical evidence of a restricted ability to work.
Betting experts say 64 per cent chance of Nigel Farage being booted as Reform leader before the end of 2025
Betting experts suggest there is a 64 per cent Nigel Farage will be deposed as Reform UK leader before the end of the year.
BetIdeas have put the price of Farage losing his job at the head of Reform at 4/7 with him 5/4 to still be in charge at the start of next year.
Boston and Skegness MP and Farage's predecessor Richard Tice is the 2/1 favourite. Boris Johnson's odds for a bombshell return to frontline politics as Reform leader stand at 8/1.
Former party chairman Ben Habib's odds are 12/1 and shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel's odds stand at 20/1.
Mike Amesbury set to formally announce resignation on Monday ahead of by-election
GB News understands the notification of the resignation of Mike Amesbury is expected to be announced on Monday, with the writ moved for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old was given a 10-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he admitted assaulting Paul Fellows.
It means a by-election will be held in the constituency in the first major electoral test for Labour since their landslide election victory last July.
Professor John Curtice says there is 'every reason to believe' Reform have surged since election
Polling guru Professor John Curtice has suggested Reform UK "is eroding further support" and all evidence points to them having surged since the election.
The Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde suggested the party's success represents the "biggest challenge to the dominance" of the other major parties in the UK.
He wrote in The Telegraph: "There is every reason to believe Reform have advanced significantly since the general election, that the party is eroding further support for an already seriously weakened Conservative party and that it could yet pose a threat to Labour’s tenure in many a parliamentary seat.
"In the meantime, local elections scheduled for the beginning of May will give us an even better idea of the exact scale of the threat Reform are now undoubtedly posing."
Labour denies civil service reforms are akin to "UK DOGE"
Labour has denied plans to reform the civil service were akin to Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
When asked if proposals were akin to a UK equivalent of Doge, Science Secretary Peter Kyle told LBC: "No. This is a disruptive programme. But it is a programme that will positively disrupt and we want to lead people through it.
"We don’t want to scare people with the prospect of change, we want to excite people with the prospect of change."
Lib Dems call for 'polluters to pay' after North Sea ship collision
Sir Ed Davey has called for 'polluters to pay'
PA
Sir Ed Davey has demanded for “the polluters to pay” for any clean up of the North Sea following this week’s ship collision.
In a joint statement withHull Council Leader Mike Ross, the Liberal Democrat leader said: "It is vital that it is the polluters who pay for any clean up of the North Sea and our precious coastline.
"The agencies involved have done an absolutely amazing job. They shouldn’t be left to foot the bill from already overstretched budgets, and nor should ordinary taxpayers.
"The people of East Yorkshire deserve to know that the Government is doing everything in its power to protect our coastlines, our wildlife and our communities."
Starmer pledges to 'slash red tape' in plans to cope with 'era of instability'
The Prime Minister has promised to slash the cost of red tape as he sets out his plan to reshape the state to cope with an “era of instability”.
In what Downing Street has described as an “intervention” on Thursday, the Prime Minister is expected to argue that global uncertainty means the Government must “go further and faster in reshaping the state to make it work for working people”.
As well as vowing to cut the cost of regulation for businesses by 25 per cent, Sir Keir will use his remarks to say he will refocus the state on his key missions and create “an active government that takes care of the big questions, so people can get on with their lives”.
He will say: “The need for greater urgency now could not be any clearer. We must move further and faster on security and renewal. Every pound spent, every regulation, every decision must deliver for working people.”
Starmer will also take aim at a “cottage industry of checkers and blockers slowing down delivery for working people”, continuing his criticism of regulation in the UK.
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